'Miracle Day' Part 1: 'The New World' by Russell T Davies

In a prison in Jacksonville, Kentucky, convicted murderer and paedophile Oswald Danes is escorted to his execution by lethal injection; but something goes wrong, and Danes doesn’t die… Elsewhere, C.I.A. Operations Officer Rex Matheson drives back to Washington D.C. in the rain. Phoning his partner, Esther Drummond, at C.I.A. headquarters in Langley, Virginia, Rex learns that a single word, “Torchwood”, has just been emailed to every computer in the world, before vanishing just as suddenly, as if wiped by a virus; however, before Rex can learn any more he is caught up in a traffic accident: steel rods fall from the truck in front and impale him right through the chest – and yet Rex doesn’t die… In a remote farmhouse by a beach in Wales, former agent Gwen Cooper wakes from a terrible nightmare; when her husband, Rhys asks what she dreamt about, Gwen shakily tells him: Torchwood… Rushed to hospital in a critical condition, Rex is tended to by Doctor Vera Juarez; the doctor is perplexed, as Rex is the second D.O.A. she has just dealt with who won’t die… Back in Wales, Gwen struggles to settle into the secluded life she and Rhys have built for themselves and their baby, Anwen. Hearing a knock at the door, Gwen and Rhys spring into action, pulling out guns from a cupboard – only to discover that their visitors are just two ramblers asking for directions; but Gwen’s suspicions may be well-founded, and the visiting couple may not be as innocent as they seem… At the hospital, Esther learns of Rex’s condition from Doctor Juarez, who also notes that several other patients who should be dead are somehow still alive; it is a miracle that started twenty-four hours ago, and seems to be worldwide… All across the globe, television news reporters announce details of the astonishing event that has been dubbed ‘Miracle Day’… In the Jacksonville prison, a representative from the governor’s office pays a visit to Danes; the convict is supremely confident that a legal loophole in the American Constitution will enable him to go free: technically he has served his sentence, and his lawyers have even advised him to sue the governor for wrongful imprisonment. Intrigued by the mysterious email, Esther decides to investigate Torchwood, only to discover that all traces have been removed from C.I.A. records – all except a censor’s reference to an earlier incident concerning the world’s children, and an injunction called ‘456’… After watching news reports of ‘Miracle Day’ from his hospital bed, Rex hears from Doctor Juarez how his body appears to be continuing the process of life despite a hole in his heart; but, wonders Rex, what will happen to him when the miracle ends…? Gwen receives a coded message from her old friend, newly-promoted Sergeant Andy Davidson, informing her that her father has been taken to hospital; ignoring Rhys’ advice, Gwen immediately starts packing. Visiting the C.I.A.’s written archives, Esther hunts through old boxes of folders for any lead on Torchwood; after a lot of effort she eventually finds an old C.I.A. file containing details of a woman called ‘Gwen Cooper’, and pictures of a man dressed in a U.S. air force greatcoat that are dated 1939 and 1925. Looking up, Esther sees the same man standing nearby; she immediately runs for the exit, only to find that the archive receptionist has been shot in the chest by a black-clad assassin. As the gunman turns his weapon on Esther, the mysterious man reappears and guns him down; but their assailant refuses to die, and he activates a bomb strapped to his chest. Acting quickly, the mystery man jumps out of the window pulling Esther with him – as the building explodes in a massive fireball, the duo make a safe landing in an ornamental fountain. As the emergency services arrive on the scene, Esther’s rescuer buys her a coffee and then introduces himself as Captain Jack Harkness. Surprised to find himself bleeding from a cut, Jack tells Esther that Torchwood no longer exists, and that he will do anything to protect Gwen Cooper; Jack didn’t send the email, but he did wipe all record of it, and hid all records relating to Torchwood – and he also just drugged Esther’s coffee, which wipes her memory and renders her unconscious… Learning of the fire at the C.I.A. archive Rex phones Doctor Juarez, but she is busy attending an examination of the assassin’s body at the behest of Jack, now posing as “F.B.I. Agent Owen Harper”. Following Juarez’s instructions, Rex accesses the hospital CCTV and watches as the hideously-burnt - yet still alive - assassin is unveiled in the hospital morgue. When Jack wonders if the gunman will continue to live even if his head were to be detached, the doctor conducting the examination agrees to find out: the assassin’s severed head remains alive, prompting everyone to wonder what technology could bring about Miracle Day – could it be extraterrestrial? Back in Wales, Gwen, Rhys and Anwen arrive at the hospital and meet Sergeant Andy. After seeing the crowds of people holding worship around the building, Gwen learns from Andy of the events of Miracle Day, and then joins her mother for an uncomfortable reunion at her father’s bedside. Gwen is pleased to hear her dad is out of intensive care, but she has to admit she has no idea of what to do next… Andy shows Gwen news reports of “The Death of Death”: some countries are ending their wars with their neighbours, while others are escalating their conflicts; not only that, but with no-one dying there will soon be a population boom – in just four months society will collapse. Knowing that Gwen will want to investigate Miracle Day, Rhys vehemently objects, citing how it will compromise her family’s safety; finally seeing sense, Gwen agrees to go home. After waking in her apartment with no recollection of recent events, a badly-bruised Esther returns to C.I.A. headquarters, where a colleague gives her the last-known file on Torchwood. Contacting Rex in his hospital bed, Esther jogs his memory of the Torchwood email, which was sent at 22.36, the time of the last recorded death. Realising that all leads point to Torchwood, Rex immediately discharges himself from hospital, commandeers a taxi and orders Esther to book a flight to the U.K. and requisition him a gun. Researching Gwen’s police records, Esther finds a link to Sergeant Andy Davison, and by tracing his recent call she is able to determine Gwen’s last-known location. The following morning, Rex arrives at London Heathrow, collects his gun from a police officer and then makes the long drive to Wales; however, when he finally steps up to the Williams’ front door and meets a gun-wielding Gwen Cooper, the strain proves too much, and Rex collapses. Back in Jacksonville, a ‘force majeure’ ruling has enabled Danes to go free; smiling triumphantly, the former-convict is driven out of the prison and through a hoard of objecting protestors. In Wales, Rhys ties Rex to a radiator while Gwen calls an ambulance for the agent; with their cover now blown, Gwen and Rhys just want to get Anwen to safety. Rex easily gets free, but before he can elicit an explanation of recent events a helicopter appears right outside the window – and then a soldier fires a rocket launcher point-blank at the house. Gwen, Rhys and Rex instinctively duck out of the way as the missile shoots through the building and destroys the back wall. Racing outside amid a hail of gunfire, Rhys and Gwen - still carrying Anwen - rush to their car, closely followed by Rex, only to find Captain Jack Harkness standing in a jeep, firing at the helicopter with a machine gun. Once everyone has jumped into the vehicle, Jack drives off at a furious speed down the beach; while Rex returns fire at the pursuing chopper, Gwen grabs a handy rocket launcher from the back of the jeep and promptly blasts the helicopter out of the sky. After a happy reunion, the team head for Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff Bay, which has been rebuilt since the destruction of the Torchwood Hub, to take stock of the situation; to his friends surprise, Jack informs them that whatever caused humanity to stop dying has conversely rendered him mortal. At that moment a squad of police vehicles arrive, and a team of policemen led by Sergeant Andy surround Jack, Gwen and Rhys. Rex has pulled rank – but instead of arresting Torchwood, he is extraditing them to the U.S.A.…

John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness), Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper), Mekhi Phifer (Agent Rex Matheson), Alexa Havins (Agent Esther Drummond), Kai Owen (Rhys Williams [Rhys Cooper]), Bill Pullman (Oswald Danes), Arlene Tur (Doctor Vera Juarez), Paul James (Noah Miller), Mariana Benedict (Charlotte Wills), Brian Guest (Mr Peterson), William Thomas (Geraint Cooper), Sharon Morgan (Mary Cooper), Tom Price (Sergeant Andy Davidson), Heather Anne Smith (Joan Cabina), Penny Bunton (Female Hiker), Ron Butler (Senior Professor), Jim Castillo (Male Anchor #2), Rick Chambers (Senior Male Anchor), Hymnson Chan (Male Nurse), Van Epperson (Archivist), Ellen Fox (TV Journalist), Laura Gardner (Female Expert), Lauri Hendler (Angry Nurse), Carla Jeffery (Teenage Girl), Clint Jung (Male Professor), Jessica Mathews (Female Anchor #3), Rocky McMurray (Senior Guard), Laura Morgan (Flight Attendant) Phil Nice (Male Hiker), Bunnie Rivera (Rosita), Robin Sachs (British Professor), Heather Anne Smith (Joan Cabina), Jackie Torres (Female Anchor #2), Nischelle Turner (Female Anchor), David Grant Wright (Male Anchor)

Directed by Bharat Nalluri
Produced by Brian Minchin and Kelly A. Manners
Executive Producers Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter and Bharat Nalluri
A BBC Cymru Wales, BBC Worldwide and Starz Entertainment production

TX:
US (Starz): 8th July 2011 @ 10.00 pm
UK (BBC1 & BBC 1 HD): 14th July 2011 @ 9.00 pm

Notes:
*Featuring Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper, and Rhys Williams; and introducing Agent Rex Matheson, Agent Esther Drummond and Doctor Vera Juarez

*The U.K. version of this episode is a few minutes longer than the U.S. version, due to the length of their scheduled time-slots; the U.S. trailer for episode two was replaced in the U.K. version by a trailer for the entire season

*As part of the publicity for 'Torchwood: Miracle Day', Starz released a number of short character-specific trailers exclusively for U.S. viewers:

Captain Jack Harkness:
“My name is Captain Jack Harkness, and I have seen the universe. But none of those endless horizons could prepare me ... for what I found on Earth. I found a world convulsed by the Miracle. But it was far more than just a blessing on mankind. It's part of a conspiracy dating back almost a hundred years. I thought I could bring Torchwood back. I thought Torchwood could fight this thing and save the world. I was wrong.”

Gwen Cooper:
“I was happy. Once upon a time, I had a husband, I had a daughter, I had a life. Then Miracle Day came along and nothing was the same again. That's when I started to run, they all tried to stop me, the government, the C.I.A., the families. But what they didn't know is, I've got a secret of my own. Torchwood.”

Rex Matheson:
“I was king of the world, man, I thought I knew it all, and look at me now. My name is Rex Matheson, former C.I.A. Now representing the Torchwood Institute, because the Miracle came along. Look what it did to me, so listen to me, listen to me! I discovered the secret behind Miracle Day, I discovered what they're really doing, to the whole world. Don't trust anyone, they're all a part of it. Don't trust anyone!”

Oswald Danes:
“My name is Oswald Danes, you might have heard of me. Fifteen days ago, I was executed, and that was just the beginning of my journey. Now, I have risen from my past, I have been forgiven, I have been blessed. Now, my new life can began. So trust me, the government has failed us, corporations have robbed us, so trust me when I say that miraculous days call for miraculous people, and I have such discoveries waiting to be made, so walk with me, walk with me, come with me on the next great leap for mankind, walk in my side. I know, what they're doing. I know, what the miracles for. God help you, God help every last one of you. One word I keep hearing, this one word: Torchwood.”

Jillian Kitzinger:
“Hi, my name is Jilly. Jillian Alexander Kitzinger. My job is to see this miracle for what it is, a benefit for all mankind. It's my job to sell it, even if that means I have to strike a bargain with the devil himself. But I think there's something else happening, beyond the miracle, behind the panic, someone is hiding a secret, and Jillian Alexander Kitzinger is gonna find it first. Word of advice, get out of my way. Phew! You're welcome.”

Esther Drummond:
“My name is Esther Drummond, I have a B.A. in Linguistics from Brown with a second to Nature and Computer Science. Masters is in Cognitive Science from the University of Chicago… I tried to stop them, okay. And everything changed. I thought it was wonderful; I thought ... I thought we could live forever. But I was such an idiot. I thought Torchwood could help. The Miracle was just the start. There's nothing we can do.”